Business owners in U.A.E are rapidly turning to digital content marketing. Unfortunately, a majority of them are lost when it comes to differentiating content that works, and content with no impact. Many brands in U.A.E are also still trying to figure out the concept of a content marketing funnel. 
A successful content marketing funnel should effortlessly move visitors from brand awareness to customer satisfaction. The main ideas and steps are explained in detail below.
What is a Content Marketing Funnel?
A content marketing funnel is a system that takes as many leads as possible through a step by step content flow. This new traffic is then converted into potential customers by “funneling” them through more content. A content marketing funnel is split into three parts;
1. Top Of The Funnel (TOFU)
Also known as the discovery or awareness stage: This is when a lead first discovers your brand. The top of the content marketing funnel is often where we see inbound content marketing at its finest. Feed the top of your funnel by creating content that tackles both brand and problem awareness.
2. Middle Of The Funnel (MOFU)
The second phase of a content marketing funnel is also known as the consideration or evaluation phase. It is at this stage that a customer starts to associate you with the solution you offer hence becoming prospects. This is the time you should supply them with helpful content that helps in the evaluation of your product.
3. Bottom Of The Funnel (BOFU)
This narrowest part of a content marketing funnel is also known as the conversion or transaction phase. Finally! Your prospects are ready to turn into customers. Depending on your brand, this is the place to go all in.
Steps to Creating a Smart Content Marketing Funnel
Step 1 – Research on Popular Content
With the target audience in mind, get to know what type of content fascinates them. Researching before creating the actual content marketing funnel helps you avoid a lot of guesswork. Study the most engaging content in your topic area then decide whether to develop similar content or use a different yet related approach.
Step 2 – Study the Top Influencers in Your Topic
By knowing what content marketing influencers are saying, you’ll be able to create something they might also share with their audience. This is guaranteed to give you exposure to people who are unaware of your brand.
Step 3 – Creating the Actual Content
Now that you have a topic, it is time to have material that is captivating enough to turn first-time visitors to loyal customers or even brand ambassadors.
- Creating Content for the top of the funnel
Here, attention is critical as the goal is to reach a wide audience that might become prospective customers. Some of the content you can create at this stage include social media content curation, blog posts, podcasts, and videos.
Social media curation, also known as “clicking on the share button” is the easiest way to get attention from people. Ensure the content being shared is relevant to your target customers as it’s what will fuel their urge to know more.
Digital marketers play a significant role in this step as they educate the brand/website owners on the importance of providing well-matched content.
- Creating content for the middle of the funnel
A mistake most brands in U.A.E make is producing content only for the first phase of the content marketing funnel. This makes them miss out on the higher conversion rates that can be achieved further down the funnel. With the pain points of the audience in mind, you can now create compelling content and prove your expertise. This way your prospects will have no choice but to visit your site repeatedly.
Educational content, also known as the lead magnet, is the best content for this phase. It captures contact information from the prospect and helps nurture a long-term relationship. This type of material can only be relayed to the audience by use of their email address. Email addresses help identify the target audience as well as provide a way to follow up with them. Some of the content you can use include: Case studies, Demo videos, How-to content, data sheets, and product description.
- Creating content for the bottom of the funnel
Content becomes “more personal” as the content marketing funnel gets narrower. Provide highly specific content that helps you stand out from competitors. An excellent way of doing this is by offering an irresistible offer or wowing your customers with straightforward content like testimonials, reviews, and a comprehensive sales process. Remember, once you successfully convert your audience into actual customers, don’t stop there! Keep the cycle flowing and let your customers help you this time.
Leading the audience from the top to the bottom of the content marketing funnel is no mean fete. It requires constant researching, analyzing, and implementation. Also, creating a smart content marketing funnel is something of an investment. Luckily, there are digital marketing agencies that can do the work for you to your satisfaction.
